


holy shit, i blew it

by perksofbeingabooknerd



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: AU, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Sorry Not Sorry, fake dating au, kissing all the kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-08 14:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3212720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perksofbeingabooknerd/pseuds/perksofbeingabooknerd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hero enlists John to pretend to be her boyfriend for two weeks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> set post-series 
> 
> PS. title is taken from the quote "I didn't want to fall in love, not at all. But at some point you smiled, and holy shit, I blew it"  
> PSS. john and hero smush faces a lot bc they're horny lonely teenagers, sorry not sorry

Hero didn't know what to do anymore.

It had been a year since her birthday. A year and a half since the picnic, and since she had stopped making videos with Bea. Everyone in the group had changed, Hero most of all. She knew what she deserved now, and what to put up with and what not to put up with.

Claudio had also changed. He wasn't the same insecure, possessive teenage boy as before. He'd grown up; he had to, seeing all the damage he'd done to her. Which was all great, but Hero still didn't want him back. She didn't think she would ever want him back, not even if he became the nicest, sweetest, most considerate guy she knew.

But he did want her back. Ever since Bea and Ben had left to embark on their travels, Claudio was slowly edging his way back into her life again. 

"I'm a different person now, I swear," he would keep telling her. "Can we start over?"

Every cell in Hero's body would scream "No" at his words. She learned to keep her composure around him and appease him with "I'll think about it", but she would always scurry off and ignore their conversation. After she started to avoid him, he would begin to text her as well. Not all the time-just occasionally. Just a casual "hi" or "what are you up to this weekend?"

She didn't want to mention it to Bea, because, well, it wasn't like she could do much about the situation. She was hundreds of miles away. Plus, Hero didn't want her to think she couldn't handle it. She didn't want to be babied again. She'd grown past that. She was seventeen. Hero knew she was strong enough to not let Claudio back into her life. But he was relentless, and her defenses were crumbling. She didn't know what to do.

* * *

Hero glanced down at her phone and read the message again.

_Please, please, just give me another chance. I know I don't deserve it, but I hope you'll let me win your trust back. Meet me at the bar at 8 tonight and we can talk._

She frowned. She'd received the text that morning when she woke up, but it'd been on her mind all day. Not even hanging out with Ursula or Verges helped distract her; she was too worried. Maybe she _should_ give their relationship another try.

"Do you want to?" Ursula asked when Hero had brought it up tentatively.

"Hell no." She shuddered at the thought.

"Then tell him that."

Hero grimaced. "I can just tell if I meet with him and he asks, I'll say yes."

"Hmm," Ursula mused. "You could pretend to date someone else so he'll back off."

"That might actually work," she replied, lost in thought.

"Good luck."

 

Out of all the guys that Hero knew, who would agree to be her boyfriend for the night?

It had to be someone Claudio knew, she decided. 

She couldn't ask Pedro, obviously. It didn't matter that he was bisexual; anyone with eyes could see that he was head over heels for Balthazar.

Dogberry was sweet, if a little awkward. Despite the fact that he was much younger than her, and despite the fact that she knew he would go along with it just to help her out, it wouldn't work. He was too awkward to be a believable boyfriend, much less hers.

 

And so Hero walked to the bar an hour before she was to meet Claudio, feeling defeated and a little panicked. She really needed more available guy friends for situations like this. She tried to take deep breaths as she entered and found a seat. Hero didn't normally drink, but she figured she needed it to calm her nerves, so she ordered a rum and coke. She took a sip and wiped her mouth, surveying the room for potential fake boyfriends. Her eyes fell on John Donaldson, who was sitting at a small booth in the corner. 

A lightbulb went off in Hero's head.  _Of course._ Claudio had never liked John; and it would be adding insult to injury if Hero were to "date" her supposed enemy, the guy who'd orchestrated her downfall in the first place. 

Hero just hoped it wouldn't be _too_ awkward. It wasn't like they hadn't spoken since everything went down. They'd had small talk and short conversations, mostly at school and when they would run into each other on the street.  _This should be interesting_ , she thought.

She took another moment to decide, then gulped the rest of her drink down to give her liquid courage. She felt the burn in her throat as she swiftly marched over to his booth and plopped herself into the seat opposite his.

Out of all the scenarios John could possibly imagine, this was probably the oddest. He never saw Hero except for in the hallways, and she most certainly never actively sought him out. She just smiled at him, but he was too busy wracking his brain to figure out why Hero Duke was sitting in front of him. 

"Um, hi?" John began. 

"Hi, John, I need a favor from you," Hero replied bluntly.

John just raised his eyebrows. She sure wasn't beating around the bush. The old Hero Duke would never have gotten straight to the point. He couldn't decide if he was impressed by her or apprehensive of what was to come.

"What favor?" He had a feeling he would regret asking.

"I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"WHAT?" John ignored the people at a nearby table who'd turned their heads at his raised voice. "Your boyfriend?"

"Yes, but just for two weeks." 

"Is this a joke?" He asked, leaning back in his seat and studying her. He couldn't tell if she was pulling a prank or acting on a dare. The desperation on her face seemed real enough.

"No! Please, I'm begging you, I need to get Claudio off my back." 

"Claudio? What are you...?" And then suddenly, it clicked. He sighed.

"He wants you back, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"And you...don't."

"No."

"Why don't you just tell him that?"

Hero huffed impatiently at him. "Don't you think I've thought of that? If I talk to him, I'll just feel sorry for him and say yes. Which cannot happen. I would hate myself if I took him back."

He leaned forward and frowned. "I don't see what this has to do with me."

"He'll hate it. And he'll back off. Hopefully."

John just smirked at her. "I think I've learned my lesson messing with Claudio. Good luck, though." He started to slide out of the booth to leave. Hero panicked.

"I'll pay you!"

He stopped and faced her. "Let me get this straight. You'll pay me to pretend to date you, so you can get your ex-boyfriend to stop pestering you?"

"Yes."

"Well, if I must," he sighed.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Hero gave him a grateful look. "Now, he's going to be here soon and we need to look like a couple, so can we please figure out how we're going to do this?"

This was undoubtedly one of the odder nights John had had in a while, but he couldn't complain. It was a break from his boring routine, and plus, he got to mess with Claudio again. Even though he knew he shouldn't. But hey, Hero was paying him, so how could he say no? He started to mentally map out their plan.

"We'll need rules. And boundaries. And we'll need to know stuff about each other if you want him to think we're together," John said, gazing thoughtfully past Hero. 

"Rules, yes. Okay. Umm...maybe we could play up the PDA a bit while he's around?"

"Okay," he said slowly, not thinking about the fact that he would be doing normal couple stuff with Hero, like holding hands and maybe even kissing. It was too weird to fathom. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, holding hands obviously," Hero began. "And cuddling, and, er, pet names, I guess, and, uh, kissing, when we have to." Her cheeks turned red at this. She couldn't afford to feel embarrassed or awkward around John. She had to get this right otherwise she would get sucked back into Claudio's life. 

"We should probably practice that, so it won't be a total disaster," John smirked at Hero, whose eyebrows raised at his suggestion. He couldn't help but be amused at the panicked look on her face and her wide eyes.

"What, kissing? Now?" Hero tried to keep her voice from rising and her cheeks from heating up, but she was unsuccessful. Kissing John Donaldson had never been on the agenda.

"Don't you want it to look believable?" John ignored the twinge in his chest caused by seeing her so flustered.

"Yeah I do...okay get over here," Hero replied, trying not to feel nervous. She hadn't kissed anyone since Claudio, and she was half afraid she'd forgotten how to do it at all. "But just a peck."

"Yes, pookie," John said as he slid into the booth next to her, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Don't call me that," Hero warned him. Suddenly he was right there, and she was so nervous she couldn't think. 

"Yes, _darling_ ," he murmured, looking right at her. "Is that better?" 

"Just shut up and kiss me, Donaldson." Hero took a breath to steady her nerves.

"Fine," was all he said, and with that he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. 

It was a tentative kiss, almost like he was asking her a question. It'd been so long since Hero had physical contact like this that she'd almost forgotten how to answer. And as far as kisses went, this wasn't terrible. It wasn't fireworks or anything like that, but it was decent. She was almost afraid to admit that she liked it.

John pulled away after a few seconds. "How was that?"

She shrugged. "It was alright. A bit awkward, though." He was so close to her that she could spot all the freckles dotting his face. She'd always liked freckles.

"Awkward how?"

"You have to be touching me. It just looks stiff otherwise." 

John couldn't say he minded this very much. He still felt a bit awkward about it, though. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Hero lied. "Just touch my face, or my shoulder or something. I don't know."

He sighed. "Okay, if you say so, _darling_."

Hero just rolled her eyes and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him toward her to kiss him again. 

This time, it was more certain. John kissed her like he was sure of what he was doing, like he wanted to kiss her. She placed her hand on his chest and gained confidence when she could feel the pounding of his heart. In turn, John cupped her face with one hand, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek. Hero hummed happily, which made him chuckle.

"Shut up, Donaldson," she managed to murmur against his mouth. He just smiled and kissed her again. Feeling woozy, she pulled away and looked anywhere but into his eyes.

"Better," was all she said after a moment. John just smirked at her until she realized her hand was still on his chest. Hero scoffed at him and scooted away, determined to put as much distance between them as she could. She definitely **did not** want to kiss him again. She blamed her hormones.

"Whatever you say, Duke." Hero just made a face at him. "Okay, we got that covered. What next?"

Hero sighed and ran a hand through her hair. John tried not to let his eyes linger on her mouth for longer than necessary.  _Focus_ , he reminded himself. He blamed his hormones.

"Well, we need our story worked out. When we started liking each other, and when we started going out, stuff like that."

He nodded. "Of course," was all he could think to say. Hero just looked at him expectantly.

"Are you going to help me think of this stuff, or are you going to make me do it on my own?" 

It was around this point that John decided to stop thinking he knew what was going to come out of Hero Duke's mouth. She continued to take him by surprise, especially when she was assertive. 

"Okay. I asked you out two weeks ago, after we'd been hanging out for a month. We're keeping our relationship a secret obviously, until now. We might as well make it Facebook official as well at this point." 

Hero looked up at him appreciatively. "Nice job. And our first date was a picnic!" She brightened at the thought, which made John smile. "Yes, a picnic in the park, and we had strawberries and sandwiches, and we told each other bad jokes and laughed until we got hiccups." She gazed into the distance, picturing it.

"Yeah, sounds great." 

She met his gaze again and pointed a finger at him. "And you didn't kiss me until the third date."

"Of course not," he said, shaking his head. "We didn't kiss on the first date, like any normal teenagers would."

She huffed and pushed him away playfully. "Oh, shut up."

John just laughed and leaned in again. 

Hero glanced to the door, her palms beginning to sweat. "Okay, he'll probably be here soon, so we should try to act like an actual couple."

"I can do that."

"Can you?" 

John answered by sliding an arm around Hero's shoulders and pulling her closer. He grabbed his beer bottle from the opposite side of the table and slid it in front of him. 

"Do we have to do the sickly sweet thing where we stare into each other's eyes and call each other pooky?" John asked sarcastically before looking down at Hero. She just snickered and returned his gaze, smiling sweetly.

"I'm afraid so, _pooky_." 

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" John had never realized exactly how blue her eyes were until he was staring right into them. 

Hero felt a twinge of annoyance, but kept up her fake smile. "Of course not, babe, you're getting paid remember? And I'm such a delight, how could you not like my company?" She patted him on the chest.

"Oh, you're just adorable, aren't you?" John bit out. She just scrunched up her face at him and laughed. 

"Hero?" A familiar voice interrupted them.

 _Here we go_ , Hero thought. She and John looked up, pretending to be surprised.

"Claudio, hi."

He looked perplexed, and a bit pained, to say the very least. "What's going on?"

Hero glanced at John. "Um, well, John and I are dating."

Claudio ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. "Is this a joke?"

"What? No."

"Because I thought you came here to talk about us."

Hero gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to tell you."

"How long has this been going on then?"

Hero swore John could tell that she was about to panic, because he chose that moment to squeeze her shoulder. It was strangely comforting, to say the least. She instantly calmed down and resumed her conversation with Claudio. 

"Er, two weeks or so." 

He studied the two of them. "I don't believe you."

Hero let out a laugh. "Do you think I'm lying?"

"I don't know, but why John Donaldson?"

She looked at John and smiled. "I like him. A lot." John's heart skipped a beat at her words. 

"And I adore her as well," he added. She beamed at him. 

"Prove it," Claudio demanded. 

Hero shrugged. "Fine." She leaned over and kissed John soundly. He kissed her back eagerly, but Hero pulled away all too soon.

"Now do you believe me?" She stared straight at Claudio, challenge in her voice. "I'm with John, okay?"

He kept his eyes on the ground. "Yeah, okay. See you at school." And with that, he turned around and walked away. Hero let out a sigh of relief as she watched him leave the bar.

"We did it!" She cheered, smiling at John. "I can't believe we did it."

John couldn't help but smile back at her. He removed his arm from her shoulder. "Well I think that calls for a drink. What do you want?"

"I don't care, whatever you're having." Now that the confrontation with Claudio was over, her entire body felt weak. She didn't think she could stand right now.

Hero thought that Claudio had taken the whole thing better than she'd expected. It wasn't like she'd expected him to get angry or throw a fit, but what could she say? Old habits died hard. Which was why she was determined not to go back to him. It was an old part of her life she would rather not revisit. It didn't seem that Claudio shared this viewpoint, however, when Hero checked her phone to find a message from him.

_He'll just fuck it up again. When he does, I'll be here._

Hero let out a frustrated groan. 

"What is it?" John asked as he slid back into the booth and handed her a beer. Hero promptly took a long swig and showed him the message on her screen. His eyebrows lifted.

"We're definitely gonna have to keep this up."

John shrugged. "I don't mind. Fake dating you will probably be the most exciting thing I'll do in my life."

She laughed weakly, but couldn't muster the energy to tease him.

"God, what a night."

He hummed in agreement. "So, just so we're on the same page, how long exactly?"

"Two weeks. Just until he goes on vacation. I figure he'll stop bothering me then."

"Sounds foolproof."

Hero gave him a look. "It will be as long as we act like we're crazy about each other. Which is why we need to learn things about each other."

"Right."

She took another swig. "We should also set rules and boundaries for the physical stuff."

"Like?"

"Like...no lip biting, no tongue unless otherwise specified, hands above the waist at all times, and no grinding."

John smirked at her. "You seem to have thought this out already."

"Shut up, Donaldson."

"Make me."

They looked at each other, and suddenly the air was heavy between them. Hero resisted the urge to kiss him again.

"You're so annoying," she said lamely, and returned to her bottle. 

They sat there in silence for the next several minutes until Hero remembered what John had said earlier. She turned abruptly to him.

"We're becoming Facebook official. And I need a picture of the two of us for my new default."

He nodded. "Oh right, okay."

She opened up the camera on her phone. "Make it look like we're happy."

"I was actually going to show Facebook how miserable I am with you."

"Oh my _god_ , you're so annoying."

"Are we going to be that couple who's always bickering?" John asked, amused.

"No, of course not!" Hero frowned at him. "Now shut up and smile."

She snapped the picture, and took another just to be sure. 

"Great," Hero said, satisfied. She downed the rest of her beer. "I'm exhausted, I'm going home."

"Alright, then," he replied nonchalantly, and stood up to let her out. "Oh, before I forget, I should give you my phone number. So you can text your beloved boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes but handed her phone to him. He quickly entered himself in her contacts and gave it back.

"See you tomorrow," Hero said as John plopped back into his seat. 

"Wait, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at school. How should we act?"

Hero furrowed her brow at John. "Like a couple, obviously. We hold hands and act lovey and stuff like that. And we can hang out with Ursula, I'll talk to her about us. She'll be cool with it."

"Great, then." She turned to leave. "And Hero?"

"Yeah?"

John caught her arm and pulled her down toward him, capturing her mouth with his again. Hero let out a surprised squeak, but didn't pull away. She quickly relaxed against him and cupped his cheeks with her hands. His face grew hot at her touch. After a moment, he reluctantly drew back.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He murmured against her lips. She just shook her head. "See you tomorrow, then." He kissed her again briefly for the last time, except, he couldn't quite stop. Thankfully Hero broke the kiss and smiled.

"Thanks for the beer." And with that, she left.

John was beginning to wonder what he had got himself into.

 

Hero walked home and ignored the tingle in her lips. She refused to add feelings into the mix. It just wouldn't work. This was all strictly business. She could do this. It was just for 2 weeks. It wasn't like she was going to fall in love or anything.

How wrong she would be.

* * *

 

The next morning she woke up and remembered last night's events. Her face grew hot again, and even though no one could see her, she drew the covers up over her head.

"What am I doing?" She groaned loudly. She sat up abruptly and glanced at the window. It was sunny that day. 

Hero dressed quickly, choosing a sleeveless blouse and a skirt. While getting ready for school, she debated on what she should tell Leo about the whole situation, or if she should even say anything at all to him. Their relationship wasn't as strained anymore, but they weren't exactly best buds now. Hero didn't tell him everything that went on in her life, and he was barely home. 

Ursula knew, of course. It was her idea in the first place. Thank god for her.

Hero glanced at her phone to find a message from John that said he would meet her in the front of the school. She sighed and hoped to God that she could make their relationship look convincing. 

 

She saw Ursula first when she arrived, and greeted her with a mixture of relief and fondness.

"How do you feel today?" Ursula asked. They both knew she wasn't asking to be polite.

"Er, alright I guess. I just need him on board," Hero replied distractedly, searching among the throngs of people for John. It wasn't like he was hard to miss; he could've passed for a small giant, he was so tall. 

"I'm sure he will be," Ursula reassured her. "Also, love the new Facebook picture. You both look adorable together." She winked at Hero, who blushed. 

"I haven't logged on since I posted that, do people believe it?" 

"I think they will once they see you together."

"That's what I'm nervous about." Hero bit her lip worriedly. All of a sudden she spotted him out of the corner of her eye.  _Showtime._

She put on a smile as John walked toward her. "Hi, babe."

"Hello, my darling girlfriend." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and touched a hand to her back. "You look lovely today."

He was overdoing it a bit, but Hero didn't mind all that much because people were starting to look at them. So she kept on her smile and replied with "Oh, you're too sweet."

"Ursula," John nodded at her.

"Hi John." She glanced at Hero. "I'm glad you guys are together now."

Now Hero was positive that others around them had heard that. She could hear their mutters and see the surprised expressions on their faces. She grinned up at John and waggled her eyebrows.  _Success._

"Thanks," he replied with a smirk. "I'm glad too." He took Hero's hand in his, entwining their fingers together. She hadn't held anyone's hand in a while. It was unfamiliar, but nice. 

Hero turned toward Ursula. "Shall we go inside?"

"Sure."

 

It was all uphill from there. John held on tight to her hand almost all day. Hero mentally thanked him for helping her feel so calm and grounded. The staring become more subtle, but thankfully no one approached them about it. John was used to the stares, but it unsettled him to watch it happen to Hero. He wished everyone would stop tip-toeing around her, and almost slapped himself when he realized that was probably all she'd wanted since her birthday party. If he could, he would climb onto the rooftop and shout that he was dating Hero Duke. Well, pretend dating.

Hero had definitely had weirder days. Her whole school day routine had been shaken up, and now that John was in the mix, she didn't quite know what to expect. She didn't worry about Ursula and him getting along, because they were both pretty laid-back. She was just nervous of any awkward silences. Or that she or John would say something wrong, and someone would walk by and realize that they were just faking it. And every time she shot John a worried look, he would just rub his thumb along her hand. It gave her a small case of butterflies, but it also comforted her.

John took charge of the conversation as soon as they settled down at a small lunch table in the quad, away from the main tables.

"So when I got home last night, I took the liberty of looking up all the puns I could find," he began. His arm automatically slid around Hero's waist. In turn, she instinctively shifted closer. 

"Oh god, here it comes," Hero snorted. Ursula just looked on with amusement.

"Because I had _nothing much to do_ ," he deadpanned, looking straight at Hero. She burst out laughing, letting her head fall on his shoulder.

"Oh my god, you're terrible," she gasped. 

"Very clever," Ursula quipped back sarcastically.

"Thank you, thank you. But that's not all." John grinned at her. 

"Oh, _darling_ , please," Hero groaned. 

"Are you ready, my love?"

Hero rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Okay, hit me."

"Why couldn't the bike stand on its own?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because it was too tired."

Hero just facepalmed. "That's so bad."

"I know."

She straightened up and glanced at Ursula. "Okay, I've got one. What's the difference between a fish and a piano?"

"What?"

"You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish!"

It was then that Hero learned that when John Donaldson laughed, he laughed with his entire body. It was so contagious, she couldn't help but giggle along with him. Ursula, too, chuckled at Hero's joke.

"That was good, Duke."

"Well I don't mean to brag, but..." She shot back playfully. 

"You know, I have to say, jokes about German sausage are just the _wurst_ ," John said, watching Hero for her reaction. "Don't you agree, Hero?"

It took her a minute, but all of a sudden she burst out into giggles. "That was terrible!" 

Hero just looked so pretty right then, her face lit up and her eyes shining, laughing at his awful joke. John felt a sudden surge of fondness and abruptly leaned forward to kiss her mid-laugh. She squeaked in surprise but kissed him back firmly, her hand resting on his shoulder. She was only half surprised to find that kissing him was becoming familiar. Like it was second nature. Looking back, it should've scared her, but all Hero knew in that moment was the feel of his arm around her, and the way he smelled like home. 

They broke apart and Hero giggled again. "You're the wurst," she murmured to her boyfriend. Pretend boyfriend.

"You're hilarious."

"Incoming," Ursula interrupted suddenly. Hero spotted her ex out of the corner of her eye.  _Here we go_ , she said to John with her eyes. She pressed herself against him and kissed him again.

John barely registered that Claudio was walking by. He couldn't think past the feel of Hero against him. Every cell in his body protested when she pulled away and unevenly said, "We're clear."

Ursula smiled at the two of them and commented on how adorable they were. They both looked away from each other, suddenly feeling shy. Then Ursula made up some excuse of having to go help Verges with something, and left soon afterward. She urged Hero to text her if she needed anything. Hero just nodded dumbly.

"Er, sorry about this," Hero apologized. "I didn't think there would be this much kissing involved."

John shrugged his shoulders and quietly replied,"I don't mind."

He winked at her and suddenly Hero couldn't breathe. It was almost like he could sense it, because his smirk grew.

She huffed at him and scooted away. John just chuckled under his breath and released his arm from her waist, his hand landing on his leg, right next to Hero's. Against her better judgment, she slipped her hand into his. She didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling too.

 

_to be continued_

 


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1)i realized i forgot to factor in the mumsies, so just assume they are on vacation.  
> 2) trigger warnings: (toward the end) nightmare sequence in which there is blood and gore; an extreme panic attack (hyperventilating, shaking, and crying)

They sat there in silence for a few moments, then Hero spoke again.

"I drink chamomile tea when I'm upset or stressed. I listen to Lana del Rey and Taylor Swift, pre-1989, when I'm really sad. And Marina and the Diamonds when I'm feeling feisty or badass."

John just looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Those are the little things about me, that you need to know," she explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Oh. Right."

She waited for him to reciprocate. Nothing. "What about you? What kind of stuff do you like?"

"Um," John began, unsure of how much to reveal. It wasn't that he had anything to hide. It was just that he hadn't opened himself up to anyone in forever, and no one had asked him to. "Favorite band is Crystal Castles. I'm more of an Earl Grey kind of guy when it comes to tea. But I like coffee too. Black."

Hero interrupted to chime in with, "Oh, me too!"

He held back a smile. She was so cute when she was excited. "What are the odds?" He said sarcastically. She gave him a look and urged him to continue.

"Okay, uhh...I'm a bit of an insomniac, I guess. I just don't need that much sleep. And I can read people really well. What else?" He looked to her for help.

"Hmm, favorite color? Lemme guess, yours is black," Hero teased him. 

There it was again, the ever familiar twinge of annoyance. Just because he wore a lot of black didn't mean it was his favorite color. "Actually, it's purple."

"Oh," she answered meekly. "Sorry, I just assumed since you wear black..."

"It's fine." He gave her a reassuring smile, mostly just to get rid of that sheepish look on her face. He couldn't really stay annoyed with her. "What's yours?"

"Turquoise. It's just such a lovely color. Doesn't go very well with some colors, though." 

"I can see that."

She smiled. "Pet peeves?"

He scrunched up his face. "Don't really have any. I just hate liars. Can't stand them. And loud people. Yeah."

"For me, they're superficial people, gossips, and when people dog ear books."

"That bothers you?"

"So much! Books are sacred things and should be treated as such." 

John couldn't help but laugh when he saw the indignant expression on her face. "I'll make sure not to do that around you, then."

"Great," Hero retorted. "On another note, I'm kind of starving, so can we go eat?"

"I don't know, can we?" John smirked at her. She pushed him.

"You're so annoying, you know what I mean, John."

"Just teasing, love. Let's go."

Hero's heart skipped a beat. She ignored it and followed John toward the cafeteria.

* * *

 

After that first day, it was so easy. They would flirt and bicker and laugh a lot. Hero couldn't remember the last time she laughed so much. And of course, John continued to surprise her. He was actually a pretty good fake boyfriend.

She had realized this when he called her early one morning before school and told her he was taking her to breakfast.

"Do you even know what time it is?" Hero muttered sleepily when she picked up the phone. It was the first time he had called since they started dating. It had better be important.

"Morning, Duke," John replied cheerily. Hero just groaned in annoyance.

"For God's sake, my alarm hasn't even gone off, what is it?"

"Get ready, because I'm picking you up in ten minutes. We're getting breakfast."

"You're joking."

"Nope, see you soon!" And with that, he hung up. 

"Why?" Hero asked her phone. She hadn't pegged John as the spontaneous type, but she couldn't say she was displeased with this. As long as he bought her coffee, she'd be happy.

But that left no time to get ready and make herself look decent. She satisfied herself with some concealer and slipped into a pair of worn jeans and a sweater. The next thing she knew, the doorbell rang. 

"You are way too awake right now," was the first thing Hero said when she opened the door.

John glanced at her sheepishly. "I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured why not grab breakfast before school?"

It was too early for Hero's brain to begin functioning, and she didn't know how to deal with John being so nice and thoughtful, so she just said, "Okay, let me just grab my backpack."

They didn't say much on the drive over, until John glanced over at Hero at a stoplight and said, "You look lovely today."

She looked at him blearily. "I just woke up." 

He chuckled. "Well, you put Sleeping Beauty to shame."

Hero choked back a laugh. "Didn't figure you for a Disney nerd."

"Shh, don't tell anyone."

"Haha, okay, _Walt_ ," Hero teased, patting his leg. He gasped in mock outrage but grabbed her hand.

"Cheeky."

She just laughed. 

 

"Thank god, I'm starving," Hero moaned as they sank into their seats at the cafe John had driven to. Hero had been there once or twice. It was cute, and cozy. Plus their coffee was great.

"Be patient, pookie," John muttered snarkily as he flipped through the menu. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Of course, Johnny poo, anything for you," Hero shot back, smirking. He just looked at her, amused.

 

Hero turned her head to gaze out the window, and in that moment, she looked so adorable that John felt compelled to snap a picture with his phone. She noticed after a second and protested half-heartedly. Laughing, he took another picture mid-protest.

"John," Hero said sweetly. "I'm going to kill you."

"Cheeky _and_ aggressive," he noted.

She smirked and gave him the middle finger. Another moment, captured.

"I think someone needs her coffee." John grinned at her and waved the waitress over to take their order.

And not three minutes later, Hero had her cup of coffee in hands. She sipped from it, looking quite satisfied.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes." Hero peered at him over her cup. 

 

Not long afterward came their food, and Hero wasted no time in digging in. 

"John, I swear, if you take a picture of me eating, I'll slap you," Hero threatened.

He held up his hands. "I'm just trying to eat my breakfast here, Duke." She eyed him and resumed her meal.

 

Hero sighed happily when she finished, feeling more awake, and more herself. 

"I got you something," John said suddenly. He took out a small box and placed it in front of her.

"What?" She looked at him, astounded. "You didn't have to get me anything." She opened it to find a silver necklace and gaped at him speechlessly. 

"I know, I-I just saw it in a window and thought you would like it, so-" John stammered. Hero cut him off by sliding out of her chair and throwing her arms around him, the necklace still in her hand. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Hero drew back and beamed at him. John grinned back at her, pleased that she liked it so much. "It's lovely."

She kissed him suddenly, taking him by surprise. His heart skipped a beat when he could feel her smiling against his mouth. 

"You're lovely," he managed to get out. He breathed her in and reached out to lightly touch a lock of her hair. 

Hero drew back, flushed but still smiling. "Help me put it on?"

"Of course."

She turned around and pulled her hair up from her neck. John clasped the necklace and said, "Happy one week, Duke."

Hero faced him. "Has it been a week already?" 

He nodded.

"Oh goodness."

She brushed it aside and handed him her phone, asking him to take a picture. Without thinking too much, she posted it on Facebook, and soon they were on their way to school. 

 

Of course Hero knew how long it'd been, she just chose not to think about it. She didn't need to think about it. She focused on pretending she was crazy about John Donaldson. She was good at it. Maybe too good.

* * *

 

"So how's it going with John?" Ursula asked when she and Hero were hanging out at the park taking pictures. John was off running errands with Ann, which Hero was glad for. She did **not** want to discuss her faux relationship with him in front of him. 

Hero turned away and focused her camera on a faraway point. She answered after a few moments. "Good, we're getting along well."

"Oh, good," was all Ursula said. Hero was just glad she wouldn't tease her, like other people might. She didn't need that, not when she didn't even know how she felt about him.

"I just," Hero faltered. "I don't really know...what's real anymore? If it's just an act, or something else."

Ursula was silent for a minute. "You both seem pretty happy. But you won't know unless you ask."

She resumed taking pictures, leaving Hero alone with her thoughts. Except, she wasn't sure she wanted to be.

* * *

 

The second week went by faster than Hero realized. The next thing she knew, it was Friday afternoon and she found herself lying in silence on her bed with John, feet facing the wall. 

They tried not to think about the fact that they had two more days left. And Hero definitely didn't think of the possibility of John going back to ignoring her after he got his money. 

The silence wasn't awkward, like Hero had feared before. She didn't have to fill the void with rambling or small talk. The only other person she didn't need to fill empty silences with was Ursula. She was content with just a nudge of his hand, or a smile shot at her.

John had never been in Hero's room before. He almost felt like he shouldn't be in here. Like it was a sacred place, just for Hero, but she'd invited him in with that smile of hers. How could he say no? 

She shifted to face him and looked in his eyes. John mirrored her movement and gazed right back at her. He couldn't remember feeling this comfortable with someone, ever. 

Then something in her eyes changed and he couldn't breathe, the way she was looking at him. It should've terrified him to see the tenderness in her eyes, but it just took his breath away. She was looking at him like he was the sun.

But she was wrong. She was the sun, not him. Couldn't she see that? He wanted so badly to tell her. He wanted to tell her a lot of things. But he didn't. Just kept his eyes on hers.

Hero's gaze flickered down to his mouth. She slowly tangled her fingers in his curls and leaned in to softly press her lips against his. He sighed against her mouth, completely fucking lost in her. He wanted this, always-her hands in his hair, her mouth on his, the way she looked at him. He wanted it all. He wanted to wake up next to her, to make her laugh, to hug her when she was sad, and to kiss her when her eyes were filled with light. Forget the money. He just wanted her.

John pulled away to press kisses to her nose and forehead, then cupped her warm cheeks to kiss her lips again briefly. He could hear her ragged breathing and just smiled. Suddenly her eyes widened, as if she'd just remembered something.

"I have a surprise for you," she whispered, rolling off her bed and grabbing her iPod off the bedside stand. He barely had time to protest the sudden absence of her warmth before Hero bounced back on again, giggling. She handed him one of her earbuds and started scrolling on the iPod. John noticed her playing with her necklace, and warmth bloomed in his chest.

"Should I be afraid?" John asked.

"Of course not."

And then a familiar sound filled his ears, and he gaped at Hero. "This is Crystal Castles."

"Yup," she answered with a grin.

"But you don't listen to Crystal Castles?"

"I do now."

He just looked at her, amazed. "I can't believe you remembered."

"Of course I did," she said softly.

He wished he could tell her how much it meant.

But instead, he looked up at the ceiling as they listened to the song, Hero following suit. 

"Do you have all their albums?"

"Just this one. But I like them a lot so far. Their sound is different, but I like it."

They both ignored the unspoken "and I like **you** " hanging between them. 

John brushed the back of his hand against Hero's. After a moment, she interlaced her fingers with his, and they lay there in silence with the music in their ears, until John reluctantly said he had to go. 

 

"Text me when you get home?" Hero looked up at him as they stood by the door.

"Of course." He squeezed her hand and kissed the top of her head. Hero closed her eyes at his touch. And then he was gone.

* * *

 

_He was yelling at her._

_He wouldn't stop yelling at her._

_She tried to run away, but she couldn't move. She was stuck there, standing in front of him, staring at him with horror in her eyes._

_No, no, no, this couldn't be happening again._

_She opened her mouth to plead for him to stop, but no words came out. Petrified, she gulped and looked around the room to find a sympathetic face. She found none._

_Everyone just stood there, their eyes empty and their faces blank. They watched the scene like it was on the television. Listless, numb, apathetic._

_Her heart hammered, and before she could do anything, he stepped forward and plunged his hand into her chest with a cruel grin. She screamed in agony as his fingers clenched around her beating, pulsing heart. He drew it out and held it in front of her, blood trickling down his arm. She sobbed, struggling to breathe. He just stared into her eyes and lifted it up to sink his teeth into it. And with that, her eyes rolled up inside her head and she collapsed to the ground, her body lying lifeless on the floor._

Hero woke up with a jolt and let out a terrified scream, clutching at her chest. She glanced down to find that her chest was still intact and whole. Her eyes darted around the room and felt relieved to find it empty of people.

Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily. She wiped her face, surprised to find tears running down her cheeks. Hero let out a sob as she rose out of bed and sat on the edge. It felt so real, so vivid. This wasn't the first nightmare she'd had since her birthday, but it was by far the worst one.

Hero noticed her hands were shaking as she reached for her phone and checked the time. It was barely 7:30 in the morning. She sniffed and took a deep breath, then dialed John's number. She ran a hand through her hair as it rang. Her heart sank when he didn't pick up right away, but suddenly she heard his voice and everything was okay in that moment.

"Hi, love," he murmured sleepily. "You alright?"

Hero squeezed her eyes shut tight and tried to focus on his voice and his voice only. "No. Can you come over?"

"Of course," he sounded wide awake and a bit concerned. "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head. "No, just you."

"I'll be there soon," he promised. Hero breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll leave the door open."

They hung up and Hero took another deep breath, then got up to walk downstairs.

 

Even going as fast as he could, John didn't reach Hero's house until fifteen minutes later. He opened the door and walked in.

"Hero?" He called out. He heard a faint sound in a different room, but couldn't make out what it was.

Then he clearly heard a sob. He rushed into the kitchen to find Hero pacing back and forth, hyperventilating and crying at the same time. There came a sharp ache in his chest.

She looked up at him wildly, her eyes wide with panic and tears streaming down her face. She looked at him like she couldn't believe he was there, like it was a dream.

"John," she uttered shakily, and took a step toward him. Like she wanted to run to him, but couldn't quite bring herself to. John wasted no time in reaching out and pulling her into his arms. 

"Shh, it's okay," he said softly, stroking the back of her head in an attempt to comfort her. She just buried her face into his chest and cried and cried, her arms wrapped around his waist. John could feel her entire body shaking as he held her.

He'd never seen her like this. He'd left before she broke down on her birthday. It killed him to see her fall apart in front of his eyes. And it killed him to remember that he played a part in contributing to her last breakdown. 

John rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. She'd stopped shaking, so he took that as a good sign. "It's okay, you're okay, I'm here," he murmured blindly, only half aware of what he was saying. 

"It was so real," Hero choked out.

"What happened, love?" He looked down at her, but she couldn't meet his gaze. She felt too vulnerable. Like she had been split open, and anyone could reach in and hurt her.

She focused on steadying her breaths. "Nightmare."

John knew he didn't have to ask what it was about, and he didn't think he wanted to. He couldn't bear to make her relive the details.

So he just held her and said, "It's okay, Hero. You're okay."

She sniffled and glanced up at him with watery eyes. "Thanks for coming. I probably woke you up, didn't I?"

Another ache. He shook his head at her, telling her not to worry.  _Of course I would come._ _  
_

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she leaned into him. They stood there for another moment, John desperately wishing he could fight all the monsters and demons in her nightmares, and Hero feeling more vulnerable than she'd ever imagined, but also safe at the same time. She couldn't understand it.

Hero drew back and tried to smile at him, wiping her eyes. She let out a uneasy chuckle. She apologized again for making him see all that. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and tell her he didn't mind her demons. He wasn't scared of the dark side in her. He wanted the bad parts, too. Why couldn't she see that?

But instead he just took her by the hand and led her to sit on the couch in front of the TV.

"I'll be right back," he promised. She nodded, still taking steady breaths and sniffling every now and then. 

John returned to the kitchen and turned on the kettle. He grabbed two cups from a cupboard, and took out a box of tea from the pantry. Then he jogged upstairs to Hero's room to pick up a blanket on her bed. 

Five minutes later, John and Hero sat curled up on the couch together, a blanket thrown over the both of them. Well, it was more for Hero's benefit than his. Her legs rested on his lap and his arm curled around her shoulder. 

Hero took a sip from her mug of tea. "It's chamomile," she said, an odd look on her face. 

"Mhm."

_He remembered._

"Thank you," she murmured, not looking at him.

He nodded, kissing the top of her head absent-mindedly. Looking back, Hero knew this was the moment she realized that she was screwed. Done for.

"So, want to watch a movie?" John asked her, determined to lighten the mood.

"Sure." She offered him a small smile. "You can pick."

"You sure? I might just choose a Disney movie," John said playfully.

She laughed, her blue eyes lighting up. This time he distinctly ignored the ache.

"I see no problem with that."

"Alright then, here we go."

 

Twenty minutes in, John looked down to find Hero fast asleep. She must've been exhausted from the breakdown. John was glad; she needed the rest. She would feel better when she woke up. And if she had another nightmare, well, he would be right there this time.

Her head rested on his shoulder, her chest lightly rising and falling. She looked so peaceful. If it weren't for her red eyes, it was almost like nothing had happened. He chose to believe this.

John knew he should return his attention to the movie, but he couldn't look away from Hero's face. He'd come to know her features so intimately over the past two weeks. He'd counted the freckles dotting her cheeks. He knew the taste of her lips, and the feel of her smile. He knew the blue of her eyes, and the warmth of her hand in his. The ache rose up in his chest again, and he couldn't help but gaze at her wistfully. He drew her close and dared to say the words he'd kept inside.

"Hero," John whispered. She didn't stir. "I think...I might...love you."

She didn't move at first, but then she sighed in her sleep and shifted closer to John, burrowing her face in his neck. He smiled.

 

Hero woke up as the end credits begin to roll. She glanced up to find John looking right back at her, then sat up with a start. 

"Oh god, I'm sorry," she winced. "Didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay," he said simply.

"I hope I didn't drool or snore or anything like that."

"No, you're fine. You're an expert sleeper," John replied, the corners of his mouth turning up.

She snorted at that and swung her legs off his lap so she could sit properly. Hero ran a hand through her hair.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" She asked, glancing over at him.

"Yeah, it was great," he said hurriedly, not bothering to tell her that he'd barely paid attention to it for five minutes. "Did you have any more bad dreams?"

"Nope," she replied happily. 

"Good, good," John muttered distractedly. 

After a minute, Hero got up to put another movie in. His eyes followed her and he struggled to decide if he should bring up what was eating away at him or not.

"Hero?" John's mouth went dry.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking..."

"Hmm?"

He swallowed. "Maybe we could keep dating, er, even after Claudio leaves."

She stopped. "What?" Her voice went flat.

"Well, you-you know, everyone already thinks we are, s-so, why not keep up the pretense?" John stammered, his heart pounding.

Hero just frowned at him. "No. A deal's a deal. Tomorrow's the last day."

John gazed at her, a panicked look on his face. He had to make her see.

"Hero, I-I **care** about you. Okay?"

"Why are you doing this?" She was starting to get mad. "You're getting paid already, what more do you want?"

 _You! I want you._  

But he couldn't get the words out, no matter how hard he tried.

Hero let out a shaky breath. "John," she begin. "You saw me this morning. I'm still fucked up. I can't do this again."

He rose to his feet, reaching a hand toward her, but she drew back. 

"I don't care," he blurted out desperately. "I don't care, Hero."

She looked at him, and all he could see was the sadness in her eyes.

"Look, I have seen the best of you and the worst of you, and guess what? I choose both." He let his hand fall to his side.

_Please, please, please just say you want me too._

Hero swallowed loudly and shook her head. "No. No, I can't do this again," she repeated. She looked down. "Just leave. Please."

John's heart stopped.

"I'll give you the money on Monday," she muttered, still not looking at him. 

"Fine," he said hollowly. He couldn't look at her anymore, not now. It hurt too much. It felt like the ache had grown and grown until it was ripping his chest apart. He turned abruptly and walked out the door.

Hero sat down slowly and felt the tears threatening to return. She ignored them and started the movie.

She spent the rest of the morning ignoring the tears streaming down her face and keeping her eyes on the TV screen. 

She ignored his absence.

She ignored the dull throb of her heart.

She ignored everything except for the TV.

 

_to be continued_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry


	3. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from Hero's POV

At some point the tears stopped. The last time she'd cried this much was after her birthday.

After everything that had happened, Hero just felt empty. Drained.

 

She found herself lying on her bed, listening to Taylor Swift. 

_We are alone, just you and me,_

_Up in your room and our slates are clean,_

_Just twin fire signs_

_Four blue eyes._

At least Taylor understood her.

* * *

 

Monday morning, Hero woke up and pulled herself together. She'd texted Ursula yesterday to tell her that it was over. She didn't ask how Hero was, and Hero was glad for that. She didn't think she could give her a proper answer.

She didn't find John until after school. She spotted him sitting alone at a table in the quad. Even from where she was, she could see the blank look on his face and the tension in his shoulders. The same look he had back when he was still just Pedro Donaldson's brother. When he was just the tall, quiet kid sulking in the corner. But she knew he wasn't that kid anymore.

Hero took a breath to steady herself and coolly marched over to him. He didn't move or look up at her as she approached.

"John."

He barely nodded a greeting to her, which threw her off. She didn't anticipate him pretending like she wasn't there. She didn't know what to do or how to act.

Hero cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um, here's the money," she said lamely as she dropped an envelope onto the table in front of him. 

John mumbled something.

"What?"

"I don't want this," he repeated loudly. 

Hero's mouth suddenly felt dry. "You earned it. A deal's a deal."

He didn't speak. 

"Oh, and here's the necklace back," she added hastily, removing it from her neck and placing it on top of the envelope. She ignored the pained look on his face.

"It's yours..." he protested quietly.

"It's fine, really."

John suddenly looked up at her, his eyes pleading. "Hero..."

All she could see was the sadness in his eyes and she couldn't take it, she couldn't breathe. She looked away and swallowed. "I have to go." 

And with that, she turned around and walked away quickly, fighting the urge to look back at him. She knew no good would come of it.

* * *

The next week or so went on like this, John walking down the hallways with his head down and Hero pretending not to see him. She caught him looking at her once or twice. She was always the first to look away. People quickly caught on that she and him weren't a thing anymore, and although there were a few whispers at first, soon Hero went back to being ignored. She didn't mind it much; she liked not being the center of attention anymore. She was just too confused to make sense of anything.

Ursula never said a word about it, thank god. But Hero could tell that she knew more than she was letting on, that she knew Hero wasn't as okay as she pretended to be. Hero caught herself gazing over at John when she knew he wasn't looking. She tried to tell her brain to forget him, but she couldn't help it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't just forget those memories with him.

One morning in class she even found herself writing the letter J in her notebook and stared at the paper in horror. She quickly scribbled over it, pressing the pencil down so hard that the tip almost broke. Hero didn't dare glance over at him, where he was sitting four seats over. She was afraid the pounding of her heart would give her away. _Stop acting like a lovesick schoolgirl_ , she reprimanded herself silently.

* * *

 

They were sitting in the living room when Ursula caught Hero scrolling through pictures of her and John on her phone. Hero looked at Ursula with panicked eyes. Ursula looked at Hero, and all of a sudden Hero knew that she knew _everything_.

"Hero," Ursula began. 

She didn't trust herself to speak, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hero looked down, still silent.

"Well if not to me, then to something," Ursula mused. "Oh, I have my camera, you could make a personal video."

Hero chuckled nervously. "Um, I don't think that's necessary..."

Ursula just pulled her camera out of her bag and went to work setting it up in front of Hero. "No one will have to see it but you."

Hero tried to protest, but Ursula turned on the camera and told her she would be up in her room. 

"And Hero?" 

She looked away from the camera at Ursula.

"He's not Claudio." And with that, she left Hero with her own thoughts.

Hero sucked in a breath and shot a panicked glance at the camera, almost as if she were afraid someone were watching. She calmed herself down with the reminder that no one would see it.

"Guess I should start," she muttered to herself. Hero ran a hand through her hair and laughed nervously again. "Uh, don't quite know where to begin."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, so Claudio wanted to get back together, so to get him off my back, I pretended John was my new boyfriend." She almost hesitated saying his name, but carried on.

"And um...it went well. He backed off, and John and I kept it up for two weeks. And it was great, it went great. He was great," Hero trailed off. She looked down. "But maybe it was too great? I dunno...it kind of felt real."

Hero wondered if she looked as scared as she felt. "It all felt really intimate. And it, uh, it felt like there was a connection. And I guess I freaked out."

Hero cleared her throat. "I don't know. I just don't know. Maybe I've just been lonely for so long, and, and I just got attached when someone paid attention to me. Yeah. Maybe that's it."

But Hero knew she was wrong, even though she wouldn't admit it. 

"I don't like John Donaldson," she said firmly to the camera. "I don't have romantic feelings for him in the slightest. I shouldn't, not after what he did all those months ago. I don't...I don't like him."

A moment passed before Hero realized something. "Oh my god, I'm turning into Beatrice."

She rose to her feet and started pacing in front of the camera. "This is stupid, this is so stupid, God. Snap out of it Hero." And with that, she turned it off.

 

Hero spent the next few days trying to pretend like nothing had happened. She had to admit, talking in front of a camera helped clarify things a bit. It was almost like the old times, with Bea. But Bea was gone, and Hero had to face this on her own. She had to face her feelings, no matter how much they scared her.

But she couldn't. She just couldn't. She was a coward. 

But John wasn't. He was brave, so brave. She wished she had the courage to tell him how she felt. 

Hero couldn't even _think_ about the fact that he might feel the same. She thought he did. It felt like he did. But maybe it was just an act. She wasn't sure anymore. So she pushed it to the back of her mind.

* * *

 

As she walked out of her last class, Hero checked her phone to see a text from Ursula asking to meet her in the art room. She walked in to find John looking out the window, his back facing her. She dropped her phone in shock and he turned around at the noise. He smiled at her and suddenly Hero felt like the walls were closing in on her. She quickly bent down to pick it up.

"Hi," John said cautiously, taking a step toward her.

Hero gaped at him, heart pounding. "Um," she managed to get out. "What-what are you doing here?"

"You left a note in my locker asking to meet me." He held up a folded piece of paper. "And I'm...I'm really glad you did. I miss you." He said that last bit quietly, looking down.

Hero just blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. "I-I'm supposed to meet Ursula here..."

"I saw her leave fifteen minutes ago." He stepped closer.

_What?_

And then, it clicked. This was all Ursula's doing. Hero didn't know whether to be furious at her meddling or freaked out that John was standing five feet from her.

"I didn't send that note."

His face fell. Hero felt a twinge in her chest.

"Then who did?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Ursula."

"Oh."

They both stood there quietly, staring at the ground. Hero figured she should say something, but she didn't know what.

"S-she probably wanted us to talk," Hero stammered.

"Okay." John looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

Except, she couldn't think straight with his eyes on her. "I don't know what to say."

"Say what you feel. Or what you're thinking. It doesn't matter."

"This is weird," she blurted out.

The corners of his mouth turned up. "Why's that?"

She gestured between the two of them. "We went from being a fake couple to, to this. To ignoring each other. It's just a weird transition, I guess."

John looked away. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Hero looked at him helplessly. "I-I don't know."

"Well, let's start with something simple. What do you know?"

 _That I want you._ Hero finally let herself think the one truth that had been flitting around her mind for days. She didn't want to be scared anymore. She let herself feel everything she'd been holding back for the past three weeks. It was a bit overwhelming, to say the least. 

She took a deep breath. "I know that...you made me happy."

John stared at her for a second, then slowly smiled. Hero's chest felt tight.

"And that you treated me better than I've ever remembered being treated," she continued.

He was looking at her like she was the sun, and suddenly Hero felt so, so shy. She shut up and looked down.

"You made me happy, too," he said, and Hero's eyes flicked back to his face. She searched his eyes for any sign that what he was saying was true. She wished to God it was. 

"And now?" Hero dared to ask.

"Well, not particularly when we ignored each other, but now? Yeah."

She swallowed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to work up the courage to say what she needed to say. "Well, that's good. Because, um, because I...like you. Like, a lot. I just couldn't handle it." Her heart pounded and she forced herself to look at him. 

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"How?"

"I could feel it in the way you kissed me."

Hero's face grew hot. "Oh. Right."

"Oh, and I like you too, in case you needed clarifying."

 _Oh thank god_. She let out a weak laugh, feeling so relieved. But then she groaned.

"But this doesn't make any sense!"

His smile disappeared. "Why?"

"We don't make any sense!" Hero gestured wildly between them. "I shouldn't like you. You're the last person I expected to fall for."

"Love doesn't make sense," He muttered bitterly.

"Wait, what?"

"You know what I mean!" He replied quickly, his eyes darting away from her. She frowned.

"John," Hero continued. "You fucked up my life a year ago. I know I forgave you, and we're fine, but we can't pretend it didn't happen."

John looked at her unhappily. "I know. I was so messed up then. But I'm trying to be better."

Her gaze softened. "I know you are. I know you're not the same person you used to be. I'm not, either. What happened was terrible, but...what's past is past. I can't go back in time and change it, and neither can you."

"Trust me, Hero, I can't forget what happened no more than you can. But know that I will spend every minute of every day with you trying to make up for what I did. I know I was never a saint. I know I don't deserve you. But I know I could make you happy, if you give me a chance."

"I just," Hero shook her head and looked down. "I just can't get hurt again. I can't."

"Hey," John said softly, taking her hand. "I'm not Claudio."

She looked up into his eyes and smiled sadly. "I know," she said simply. "You're John."

Hero knew the two of them were the most unlikely pair to happen. She knew that it didn't make sense, that she shouldn't be having feelings for the boy who helped damage her beyond repair. But she did, and she couldn't change that. She just knew that standing there with him, his hand in hers, felt right. It felt like home.

"Is it alright if I kiss you now?" John asked tentatively.

Hero just smiled to herself and answered him by leaning up on tiptoe and firmly kissing him. He slid his arms around her to pull her closer. He touched her, and her skin was on fire.

He pressed his hands to the small of her back, and her entire body went weak. He kissed her with all the pent-up emotion he'd been keeping inside ever since that morning she told him to leave. He cupped her face, touching her almost reverently. 

Hero started to feel woozy. She couldn't remember having a kiss this fantastic in her life. 

John pulled back to kiss her forehead, bringing her hand up to place it over his chest. Hero could feel the steady thump of his heart. It reminded her that he was real, that he was right in front of her, and _this was real_. She sighed happily and rested her forehead against his. 

"You feel like home to me," she murmured to him. "Isn't that weird?"

"No, because I feel the same."

She smiled, and he kissed her again. 

"You're shaking," Hero realized. 

"So are you." He smirked at her.

"Oh, man, have I missed that smirk," she said sarcastically. He tutted at her.

"I have something for you," John said, taking out the necklace he'd given Hero. She gaped at him.

"Have you been carrying that around this whole time?"

He looked at her sheepishly. "Well...yeah."

She winced. "I should've kept it."

"It's alright." He placed it back around her neck. She touched a hand to the pendant and smiled gratefully at him, if not a bit sadly. 

"You should also know that I haven't touched the money you gave me," John added.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I would give it back, but I'd rather just spend it on you." 

"How romantic," she quipped. Then she looked at him like something had just occurred to her.

"John," Hero began. "I have a very important question for you."

"Alright."

"Will you go on a date with me?"

"Like an actual, official date?"

"Yes, John."

"Then yes, I would love to," he replied with the biggest grin on his face. 

Hero couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face. She could sing, she was that giddy.

"Great, call me sometime," she said coyly, leaving the room.

 

Hero had no idea what would happen or even if this would end well with the two of them. All she knew was that she was head over heels for John Donaldson, and he was head over heels for her. And somehow that was enough.

 

_fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's over!  
> hope you guys enjoyed this, i know i loved writing every word :)
> 
> also, if enough people want it, i might just write a sequel to this featuring John's and Hero's first date, and the dates to come after that, and the progression of their relationship.


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